Machine for assembling cushion spring units



oct. 27, 1936. f; J, KING ET. AL l 2,059,117

` MACHINE FOR'ASSEMBLING CUSHIION SPR'ING UNITS Filed Jan. 4, 1934 4 sheets-sheet 1 lll JZ uw@ Oct. 27, 1936. T 1 Kmq;` E1' AL 2,059,117

MACHIN FOR AXSSEMBLING CUSHION SPRING UNITS Filed Jan. 4, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 loo ' Thom Jfmkg. fedE'Zm-zmer/narz,

Oct. 27, 1936. T, J, KlNG ET AL 2,059,117

MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING CUSHION SPRING UNITS Filed Jan. 4, 1934 N .4 sheds-sheet s l IIIII 4 OCt. 27, 1936. T J, K1N@ ETIAL I ..2,0`S9,11"I r` MACHINE FOR ASISEMBLING' CUSHION SPRING UNITS Filed Jan. 4, 1934 4 shams-sheet 4 Thoma@ Freczj Z'Lmnzemzam Patented oa. 21, 193s MscmNEroa AssEMaLmG ousmoN scanso uNrrs Thomas J. xm, oak rumana Fred n. zimmerman, Chicago, Ill., assignors Company, Inc.. Chicago, lil.,

Delaware to The Gerrard a corporation of Application January 4, 1934, Serial No. 705,266

9 Claims.

ity of continuous wires which connect each row with the following row while at the same time allowing for a certain amount of separative movelome'rit between adjacent rows.

y Another object is tn provide a machine of the 4 character describedwhlichis fully automatic in its operation and wh'ichwill turn out the compieted cushion units ata high ratel of speed. 15 Other more speciiic objects and advantages will be apparent tathhse skilled "in the art upon at fvuli understanding of the construction, ar'

rangement andopration ot the machine. One embodiment of` theinvention `is presented herein 'forth'e purpose of. exemplicatio but it. will oi appreciated that the invention is susceptible .otbeing-incorporated in 'other structurally modiiled forms coming lequally withinthe scope-.of the appndd claims.)`

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 isajjsideview ofthe machine;

Fig. 2 is a'n endvie' of the machine, with certain.. portions broken' away;

Fig. 3 issiee view; of thelower formim;v neas 30 in the machine.;

Eig. 4 is a plan heee; g,

Fig. 5 is an vend view eof the spring straightening device; taken on approximately the line 5-5 a5 of Pis-3:

' Fiv. 6 is an ev xiice, rtaken on 'approximately the; line -i 8 g. 3; Fig."1 is'a side view og. the main clutch:

. vof al portion of the lower Fig. 8 is a partially sectionedv end vie'w voi.' the clutch, taken onl lthe line 8-8 lof Fig. 7; Vand Fig. y9 is a section through one of the wire guideways'taken-on 'the line 9-4 of Fig. 4. y The machine-,which 'forms-the subject, matter 45 of this invention is'- adapted to bind together coil springs by utilizing thern particular twisted'vire tie formation shown infimmerman Paten 1,847,230; but' it willfvvof bie-appreciated' that with minor modiiioations"the, machine can so be'used to produce Totherminds lof;connections between the springs. f f" The various mechanismswhich constitute the s machine are enclosed withinl anl open rectangular frame I whichis composed ofside members II and endmembers I2. Them? 1S PiQYideil dl viewer the twisting ,de-

with a fiat horizontal passageway I3 which extends through the frame from one end to the other. This .passageway is approximately equal in height to the springs I4 which are adapted to b e bound together by the machine and it is practically as wide as the frame. The springs are fed into one end of the' passageway, in transversely extending rows, and advance through the same with a. step-by-step'movement, emerging from .the other end of the passagewayv with the ysprings in each row tied to each other top and bottomwith .a plurality of wires and with each row connected to the preceding and following rows with the same wires, all as shown in Fig. 4 'and as described in detail in the above mentioned Zimmerman patent.

The bottom of the passageway I3 is dened by a plurality of longitudinallyy extending strips ii which are mounted at their ends on tie 'rods I6 carried by the side members II of the frame. The strips I5, which are positioned on edge, are arranged in pairs, with the strips in each pair spaced apart approximately the Vdiameter oi the springs I4, and with'the adjacent strips ofadjoining pairs in lateral abutment with each other. The upper edges of the strips I form supporting guides for the upper stretches of a plurality of specially constructed chains I1 which together form an endless bed conveyor I8. At the out-feed end of the passageway the chains I1 trained over sprocket wheels I9 which are secured to a shaft 20, while at the in-feed end the chains are trained over a curved sheet metal shield 2|. The shaft 20, through which the ,chains of the conveyor are driven, is journaled in bearings inthe upper ends of two arms 22,

v'which arms are pivotally attached at their lower ends to the side members II of the frame by. ystuds 23 and are securedin any desired position -by locking bolts 24. The bolts 24 pass through arcuate slots 25 in the side members II,` and the ends of the shaft '20 likewise pass through arcuate slots 26 in the sidemembers. The curved shield .2I- over which the chains are trained at the in -feed end of'the machine is secured at its 45 ends .to the lside members I I by bolts 21, which bolts are positioned in horizontally elongated slots 28 in the side. members. By loosening the bolts 24 and; 21,'various adjustments can be made with respect to both the position and. the tautness of thevconveyor I8.

of the chains I-1 oi.' the lower conveyor I8 consists of a series of plates 29 (see Figs. 3 and 4) which are provided with circular seats 30 for the cent-.eredv reception ofthe lower endsss "peach make one complete revolution before lGomof the springs I4, and each of the plates 29 is pivotally connected to the preceding and following plates by pairs of links 3I which project at their ends over the edges of the seats 30 and lock the ends of the springs in the seats when the plates and links areImoved into the same plane at the upper edge of the shield 2|.

The upper stretch of the conveyor I8 is advanced intermittently by means of a dog 32 which engages with the teeth of a ratchet wheel 33 on one end of the shaft 20. The dog 32 is pivotally mounted on an arm 34 which swings about the shaft 29 and is pressed resiliently against the teeth by any suitable means. The lower end of the arm 34 isfpivotally connected to one end of a rod 35, andthe other end of the rod 35 is pivotally connected to the upper end of an arm 36. The arm 36 is pivoted at its lower end to the frame of the machine and is provided intermediate its ends with a cam-following roller 31 which is maintained in engagement with the periphery of a'cam 38. When the roller 31 rides into the relieved portion of the ca'm, under the .influence of a tensioned spring 39 which is attached to the rod 35, the dog 32 will move back into a position behind one of the teeth of the ratchet wheel 33, and when the roller rides onto the high portion of the cam the dog will turn the ratchet wheel through an angle corresponding to one of the teeth, thereby advancing all of the chains of the conveyor simultaneously a distance equal to the spacing of the seats for the springs. The cam 38 is mounted on one end of a shaft 40, which shaft is intermittently rotated, one revolution at a time, from a main drive shaft 4I by the power transmitting mechanism hereinafter described.

The shaft 4 I, which is provided at its outer end with a belt pulley 42, carries a pinion l43 which meshes with a` gear 44 on a stub shaft 45. The shaft 45 carries a pinion 46 which meshes with a gear 41. The gear 41 (see Fig. 8) is journaled on a shaft 48 and is adapted to intermittently rotate the shaft 48, one revolution at a time, when a spring-pressed clutch pin 49 is permitted to move into a recess 59 in the gear. The pin 49, which is mounted in a carrier 5I secured to the` shaft 48, is adapted to be withdrawn from clutched engagement with the gear 41 by a beveled finger 52 on a downwardly spring-pressed arm 53 `(see Fig. '1). 'I'he arm 53 is pivotally mounted at its lower endon a shaft 54 and bears at its upper end against the periphery of a cam 55 on the previously described shaft 40. After the cam 55 has made one complete revolution, a relieved portion 58 in the cam will permit the arm 53 to swing downwardly under the action of `a spring 51, whereupon the beveled end of the finger 52 will engage with an annular shoulder 58 Aon the pin 49, causing the latter to be withdrawn from engagement with the gear 41. As

soon as the gear 41 has been disengaged, the shaft 48 will come to rest. 'I'he shaft 40 is ro' x tated by a gear 59 on the shaft 48'which meshes with a gear- 59 on the shai't- 4I). Rotation of the shafts 40 and 48 is started by depressing a foot lever 8i, which lever is pivotally mounted on a cross rod 62 and is connected to the arm 53 by a link 63. When the foot lever 8| is depressed, the beveled end of the finger 52 will be withdrawn from its engagement with the pin 49, allowing the constantly rotating gear 41 to be clutched to the shaft n. rn other words,- when che foot lever nl is operandi7 the shafts 4o and ammi ing to rest and the resulting movement of the cam 38 on the end of the shaft 40 will cause the lower conveyor I9 to be advanced one step.

'Ihe shafts 49 and 48 control the operations of all the mechanisms which cooperate to bind together the lower ends of the springs I4 resting' on the lower conveyor I8. They also indirectly control the operation of all the mechanisms which cooperate to bind together the upper ends of the springs, but as the upper set of mechanisms is in large measure a duplication of the lower set the latter will first be described.

The lower set of mechanisms includes-in addition to the already described intermittently advancing conveyor IB-means for feeding the wires used in connecting the springs; means for taking the lower circular ends of the springs in each row and shaping the adjacent portions thereof into straight contiguously disposed sections; means for placingresilientlyyieldable wavelike formations in each wire intermediate the portions used in tying the springs together; v

lcated at thein-feed end of the machine, curve upwardly and discharge the wiresin the direction of feed of the conveyor I8 in the passageways present between the strips I5 on which the chains of the conveyor are supported. From the guides 51 the wires pass between periodically meshing parallel pins 88 which are carried by disks 69 (see Figs. 3 and 4). The disks are arranged in pairs in the passageways, with the disks in each pair in slightly spaced but marginally lapped relation, whereby to provide an opening between the same for the wire. The disks in each pair are secured to the upper ends of short upright shafts 1li which are caused to rotate at the same speed but in opposite directions by intermeshed pinions .1I on the shafts. One of the shafts in' each pair is provided at its lower end with a I5. The shaft 14 is driven from a countershaft 15 by a chain 19 which is trained over sprockets on both shafts, while the countershaft 15 is in turn driven'from the previously described control shaft 49 by a chain 11- which is likewise trained over sprockets on those shafts.

The pins 88 are eccentrically grouped with respect to the axes of the disks- 89, with the result that they act only on relatively s hort sections of vthe wires and leave the relatively long intervening fio sections straight, the latter sections passing freely through the openings present between the overlapped portions of the disks notwithstanding the movement of the pins on the latter. The pins 53 are so spaced in their closest positions of approach as tov bend the wires back and forth without grippingv or clamping the same. The wave-like formations produced by the pins are shown at 18 in Fig. 4.

Should any of the wires 84 oifer too much resistance to forward movement inl their passage throughthe zone of the deforming pins 88, that particular wire will of course become t'aut near the lower end of theguide 61 itis entering, where normally a certain amount of curved slack is present in the wire.. When this occurs,the wire will move upwardly in straightening out and will force' an overlying 'finger 82 upwardly (see Fig. l). The finger` 82, which is connected to a toggle link 83, will act with a second toggle link 84 to swing an arm 85 downwardly. The arm 85, which is pivotally mounted at one end on the cross rod 62, isA provided at .its other end with an idling roll 86, which roll will clamp the wire rmly down against the previously described feed roll 66, thereby aio-- celerating the speed of travel'of that particular wire. The feed rolls 66 are all mounted on a cross shaft 81 which is `driven from the control shaft 48 by a chain 88 which is trained over suitable sprockets on both shafts. It will of course be understood that each of the feed rolls 66 has associated with it one of the idling rolls 86, and that there is a separate finger 82 for each of the idling rolls.

The devices which are employed to straighten out the adjacent sections ofl the lower circular ends of the springs I4 are located in theA passage- ,ways between the strips I5 at points just in advance of the paired disks 69. Each of these devices consists of a fiat rectangular plate 90 (see Figs. 3, 4 and 5) which is fastened at opposite sides to the strips' and a pair of dies 9| which are adapted to move upwardly through an opening 92 in theplate and are also adapted when in their uppermost position to move toward each other between spaced projections 93 at opposite sides of the center of the opening 92. The opposedlsurfaces `of the dies 9| and projections 93 which engage with the circular lower ends of the springs on the then stationary conveyor I8 are of such complementary shaping as to produce the straight subsequently bound sections shown at 94 in Fig. 4. The dies 9| are mounted in a carrier 95 which is adapted to move up and down in a rectangular guideway 96 provided between strips |5, and the carrier 95 is in turn supported on a cross shaft`91. The dies are pivoted at 98 to the carrier and the lower ends of the dies are equipped with rollers 99 which are adaptedto engage with the opposite aces of a double cam disk on the shaft. The upper working portions of the dies 9| are nor' mally maintained separated, with the rollers 99 hugging 4the opposite faces of the cam disk |00,

\ by the action of compressed springs |0I. When the disk` |00 turns with the shaft 91 into a position wherein the high portions of the cam surfaces cause the rollers to move laterally, the dies 9| will'of course be brought together on the interposed' portions of the springs I5 to produce the formations 94.

The shaft 91-which forms the support for all of the dire carriers 95 and at the same time constitutes the operating means for all of the pairedv dies 9|is journaled in a movable frame |05 (see Fig. 3). nally extending side members |06 which are pivotally mounted on a cross shaft |01 near the in-feed end of the machine. The other ends of the frame-members |08 are provided with rollers |08 which rest on cams |09. The cams |09 are secured to thepreviously described control shaft 40 at points adjacent the sides of the main frame of the machine. When vthe rollers |08 ride down into the low portions of the cams |09,- the moving `frame will lower,.bringing the dies 9| below the level of the conveyor I8, and when the rollersride onto the portions of the cams the movpreviously mentioned cam The frame |05 includes two longitudiing frame will rise, bringing the dies 9| into their operative positions.

I'he shaft 91 is rotated at proper intervals by a sprocket I|0 on one end of the same (see Fig. 1) which engages with the outer side of a chain I which is trained over a sprocket ||2 on the shaft |01 and over another sprocket I I3 on another cross shaft ||4, which cross shaft is carried by 3), on the order of the previously described clutch A 49, is provided on the shaft |01 for disconnecting the chain drive I5 from that shaft. The clutch I I6 is released by a pivoted wedge finger' ||1 which is connected to a latch finger I8 by a link ||9. The lower free end of the finger ||8 projects into the path of a stud on one side of the |09, with the result that when the stud |20 move's the finger ||8 the clutch ||6will be operated, causing the vshaft |01 to turn until the clutch I|6 is automatically' thrown out by the finger ||1.

' The loops in the wires 64, from which the twists are subsequently made about the straightened portions of the lower ends of the springs, are produced in the wires by means of upwardly pr jecting die members (see Figs. 3 and 4). 'All of the die members |25 are pivotally mounted at their lower ends'on a cross rod |26 carried by the frame |05, which form of mounting'allows the die members to travel practically straight up and down in guideways provided for the same between the strips I5 notwithstanding the slightly `arcuate movement of the frame |05. As each of the die members |25 moves upwardly it lengages with the under surface of one of the wires, and` as it continues upwardly it bends the overlying portion of the wire into an inverted U-shaped loop, the wire meanwhile being held down against the side surfaces of the die by studs |21 and |28.

Each wire, in moving into the path of one of the die members |25, passes through a guiding con duit |29 where it is engaged by a pair of resiliently contracted directing fingers |30.

As each of the dies |25 moves upwardly to form the loop in the wire, the associated stud |21, which slidably mounted in a guide block |3I, is projected laterally into its operative position above the wire by a pivoted tion of the stud |21 is necessary in order to .per' .mit the upstanding loop in the wire to travel pastthat point into a guideway of inverted T- shaped section located at the far side of the die. llir spring |39 is preferably introduced between the rod |33 and the socket |34 in order to effect a spring-pressed projection of the stud |31 at the A beginning of the upward movement of the frame |05, the spring |26 yielding as the frame continues its upward movement with the stud in operative position. The other forming stud |28 associated with each of the dies |25 is brought down cx.v the upper surface of the wire/by the oscillabell crank lever |32 (see Fig. 9), which leverv is actuated by a rod |33.

tory movement of a bell crank lever |31 on which it is mounted. The other arm of the lever |31 carries a roller |38 which is engaged and forced upwardly by an adjustably positioned block |30 on the top of the frame |05.

From the loop forming dies |25 the wires 64 travel upwardly at an inclination through the guideways |35 into the plane of the conveyor I8, where they assume upright positions alongside the horizontally disposed straight sections of the lower ends of the springs I4.

The devices which act to twist the upstanding loops in the wires about the parallel portions of the lower ends of the springs, are positioned in the passageways between the strips I at points beyond the ends of the guideways |35. Each of these devices consists of a wire twisting unit I4| (see Fig. 6) which is movable vertically in a guideway |42 and is mountedon a bearing I 43 which is journaled in an upright position on the previously described shaft II4. Each unit contains'a radially slotted wire twisting pinion I 44 and two 'pairs of wire holding jaws |46 which are pivotally mounted at opposite sides of the carrier in alignment with the slot |41 in the pinion.

As soon as the wires 64,. with the upstanding loop formed therein, come Ato rest above the twisting unit, the latter will move upwardly through the guideway |42 and the loo'ped portion of the wire, together with the contiguously lying straight portion of the lower ends of two of the springs, will be received in the slot |41 of the pinion. As the unit reaches its fully elevated position, the jaws |46 will close on the wire at opposite sides of the looped portion and two other pairs of jaws |48 will close against the Jaws |46 on the adjacent circular portions of the lower ends of thesprings, thereby holding all of the wire parts, with the exception of the looped portion; against movement. Rotation of the pinion |44 will thereupon twist the looped portion ofthe wire one, two or three times around the two straightened portions of the springs, jas desired, producing a secure hinge-like connection between the springs.

The slotted wire twisting pinion |44 meshes with a pinion I 48 which is located below the same on a stub shaft |50, and the shaft |50 is driven from a cross shaft |5| by intermeshed spiral gears |52 (see Fig. 3) on those shafts'. The shaft |5|, which serves as the driving means for the twisting pinions of all of the units, is provided at one end with apinion |53 (see Fig. 1) which meshes with a gear |54 on the previously described shaft 4. if

The jaws 48 are mounted on the upper ends of a pair of levers |55 which are pivotally mounted on the carrier |45 at |55. The upper ends of the levers |55 are normally maintained in separated relation to each other by a tensioned spring |51 which connects the lower ends of the levers, but when the carrier |45 approaches its uppermost position the lower ends of the levers |55 are spread apart by toggle links |58 which are connected to a plate |58 on a rock shaft |80. A.As the carrier reaches its uppermost position, the plate |59 is rocked to operate the toggle links p |58 by an arm |6| which is secured to one end of the shaft |60. The arm |6| is oscillated downwardly by a roller |52 on the upper end of the veyors I8, I8' at the in-feed end of the machine,`

same which moves into engagement with` the lower edge of one of the strips I5. 'I'he jaws |48 are caused to move toward each other by the straightening of the toggle links |58 and the action of the jaws |48 against the jaws |46 cause the latter also to move together, thereby clamping all of the wire parts-in proper position for vthe twisting operation. The jaws |46 are normally maintained in their upper position by small springs |63 which are positioned between the jaws |46 and the jaws |48.

Through the operation of the above described mechanisms it will be understood that all of the coil springs |4 in each transversely extending row are tied together at their lower ends bythe wires 64 and that each row is connected to the row in advance of the same by means of the same wires. I

producing at the lower ends of the springs a'fabricated cushion formation of the character disclosed in the previously mentioned Zimmerman patent. The upper ends of the springs are at the same time tied together in a similar manner by wires 64', through the instrumentality of another set of mechanisms which in all essential respects is substantially identical with those already described.

In this connection it will be observed in Figs. 1 and 2 that the upper ends of the springs I4 before being tied together by the wires 64' are mounted in seats on an upper chain conveyor I8', which conveyor is caused to advance intermittently in synchronism with the lower conveyor by means of a dog 32 whichoperates on a ratchet wheel 33' on the drive shaft 20' of the upper conveyor and which is oscillated by a link |66 which connects with the corresponding ratchet mechanism of the lower conveyor. The wires 64' are fed from coils which are mounted on upper reels 65',

way I3 through the machine mounted on an upper moving frame |05'. 'Ihe frame |05 is raised and lowered by means of a grooved cam 38' which corresponds in function to the cam 38, and the operating shafts 91', |01' and ||4' are rotated by a chain III', with the shaft |01 driven from the shaft |01 by a chain |61. The upper control shaft 40 on which the'cam` 38 is mounted is driven from the shaft 40 by a chain |68,'whi1e the shaft 81' on which the feed rolls 66 are mounted is driven from the control shaft 40' by a chain |68. The shaft 14"which rotates the disks which carry the wave-forming pins is driven from the shaft 14 by a chain |10. In this way all of the mechanisms which act upon the upper ends of the springs and the wires used to connect the same, are synchronized in their upper portions with the lower mechanisms, with the result that when the springs |4 emerge from the out-feed end o f the machine they are permanently bound together, top and bottom, into a finished cushion unit.

The springs |4 may be positioned on the'conone at a time by hand, or they may first be assembled in rows in loading magazines of some kind and stripped from the magazines direbtly Asztozsairz' 5 into the seats on the conveyors. which latter method will of course permit of an increase in the speed of operation of the machine.

The upper section of the machine may be readily removed from the lower section to render the saine readily accessible for adjustment or repair by merely disconnecting the previously described chain and link connections between the upper and lower heads and removing bolts I1I which connect the side frames of the upper and lowerl heads together. It will ofcourse be appreciated that the particuiar means disclosed for shaping the ends of the springs, producing the wave formations in the wires, bending the wires into loops, and twisting the loops about the springs, are so disclosed primarily for`the purpose of exemplilcation, and are not to be considered as limitations on either the spirit or scope of the invention, since it will be obvious that other instrumentalities might be employed for the same general purposes, and that some might be omitted while-others of a generally similar character might be added. It will also be evident that changes in the character of 2.5 the cushion unit to be produced would of course require appropriate modifications in the nature, order and coaction of the mechanisms employed, the lpresent invention residing in its broader 'aspects in the combination and coaction of mechanisms which together constitute the automatic machine for the purpose of producing cushion units from individual coil springs.

It will also be apparent that diilerent variations may be made in the matter of procedure or results obtained. Thus, one side of the cushion unit might be assembled by connecting together the springs at the lower ends only thereof, this by omitting the top portion of the'machine and using only the lower portion. The unit would then of course be reversed on the machine and the other side assembled in a similar manner. Or the crimping arrangement for providing the convolutions in the 'connecting wires between-the coils might be omitted adjacent the sides of the machine in order .to permit the outer or side wires to provide a stiiening eiect for a border, and in this connection it might be desirable to employ a heavier gauge wire for the border. Or partially pre-formed wires might be used forvthe connectingwires instead of forming these'wires in the machine itself. In fact, it will be evident that the machine is susceptible of a number of such` rearrangements, alterations and substitutions.

The designation cushion unit as used herein -is of course to be understood as meaning any type of unit designed to give a cushioning effect.

, The units produced bythe automatic machine of the invention may be in the form of bed springs orbed mattresses, or they maybe in the form of seat foundations such as are used in upholstered furniture and in the seats of automobiles, trains and the like. In fact, the units may be made l 65 np in various sizes and shapes to t all now /lnown cushion requirements;

, We claim:

1. In a machine for automatically binding together coil springs to form cushion units, means for binding together a number of springs in a row with a-number of wires which are disposed between adjacent springs, said means including rotary devices for twisting looped portions of the wires about adjoining p s portions of the springs, i '75 and means for advancing the bound row, whereby to bind another row of springs by said ilrst mentioned means with the same wiresupon the next operation of the binding means. A

2. In a machine for automatically binding together coil springs to form cushion units, means '5 for binding together a number of springs in' a row with a number of wires which are disposed between adjacent springs in generally right angular relation to the row, and means for advancing i the bound row, said means including rotary de- 10* vices for twisting looped portions of the wires about adjoining portions of the springs, whereby to bind another row of springs by said rst mentioned means with the same wires upon the next operation of the binding means. 15

3. In a machine for automatically binding together coil springs to form cushion units, means for simultaneously binding together a number of springs in a row with a number of wires which are disposed between adjacent springs in general- 20 ly right angular relation to the row, and means for advancing the bound row, whereby to bind another row of springs by said first mentioned means with the same wiresupon the next operation of the binding means. 25

4. In a machine for automatically binding together coil springs to form cushion units, means for simultaneously binding together a number of springs in a row with a number of wires which are disposed between adjacent springs in general- 30 1y right angular relation to the row, means for advancing the bound row, whereby to bind another row of springs by said first mentioned means with the same wires up'on the next operation of the binding means, and nmeans for pro- 35 ducing resiliently yieldable formations in the porftions of the wires which connect the-rows.

5. In a machine for automatically binding together coil springs to form cushion units. means for feeding coil springs through the machine in 4o transversely extending rows, means for feeding wires through the machine in the same direction between the springs in each row, and meansfor twisting portions of the wires about abutting portions of the springs in each row. 45

6. Ina machine for automatically binding together coil springs to form cushion units, means for feeding coil springs through .the machine in transversely extending rows, means for" feeding wires'lthrough the machine in the same direcl50 tion between the springs in each row, means for forming a loop in each wire in registration with the springs in each row, and means for twisting the loops in the wires about abutting portions of the springs in each row. i,

7. In amachine for automatically binding together coil springs to form cushion units, means for feeding coil springs through the machine in transversely extending rowsymeans for feeding wires throughthe machine in the same direction 60 between the springs in eachrow, means for placing a wave-like formation in each wire at intervals longitudinally thereof, means for forming a loop in each wire between-.each two wave-like formations', and means for twisting transversely aligned loops in the wires about adjacent por-- tions of the springs in'each row.

8. In a machine kfor automatically' binding together coil springs to form cushion units, means 70 for feeding. coil springs through the machine-in transversely extending rows, means for feeding wires through the machine in the same direction between the springs in each row, means for straightening out portionsof the corresponding end portions of they springs to bring such portions into parallel abutting relation', means for forming a loop in each wire in registration with the straightened portions of the springs, and means for twisting transversely aligned loops in the wires about the straightened portions of the springs in each row.

9. In a machine for automatically binding together coil springs to form cushion units, endless upper and lower conveyors arranged in spaced `parallel relation and provided with means for temporarily holding' the opposite ends of coil springs in transverse rows, means for intermittently advancing the conveyors a distance corresponding to the distance between adjacent row's, means for feeding wires lengthwise of the conveyors between the corresponding ends of the springs in each row, and means for twisting the wires about adjacent portions of the springs, whereby to bind all of the springs in each row together and also bind each row to the preceding row.-

THOMAS J. KING.

FRED R. ZIMMERMAN. 

